Margaret R. Kincaid Fountain

Mrs. Margaret Kincaid of Louisiana, Missouri, bequested funds for a drinking fountain in “some park in St. Louis” with the stipulation that the competition be open only to women. Nancy Coonsman Hahn, a former student of George Zolnay’s at Washington University, was selected. Hahn’s proposal for two nude girls being sprayed by four frog fountain figures caused an uproar: The Women’s Protective League demanded clothing; a newspaper cartoon covered the girls with raincoats; and the Union Trust Company, custodian of the funds, demanded a revision. The exasperated sculptor’s new design, inspired by old Italian well heads, is a high-relief of six very young children who dance around the fountain base carrying a garland. The artist also designed the two concrete benches nearby which are supported by elves.